The Council of the European Union on 8 June 2026 imposed asset freezes and travel bans on two Iranian individuals and one entity for threatening freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The listings target the Hormozgan Provincial Command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN), which has implemented a toll system screening vessels and demanding payments for transit, as well as IRGC Navy Deputy Commander Mohammad Akbarzadeh and oil union representative Hamid Hosseini for supporting the policy of submitting to Iranian authorities and paying fees for safe passage.
The designations bring the total number of listed persons under the amended sanctions framework to 26 natural persons and 27 entities. The measures prohibit providing funds or economic resources to those listed and impose an EU travel ban on the individuals.
The 8 June listings follow the Council's 22 May 2026 decision to extend the scope of EU restrictive measures — originally adopted in July 2023 over Iran's military support to Russia's war in Ukraine and to armed groups in the Middle East and Red Sea — to also cover actions threatening freedom of navigation in the Middle East, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz. The European Council on 19 March 2026 had called for full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2817 (2026) on maritime security and freedom of navigation.
Impact on stakeholders
The sanctions directly affect the listed individuals and entity by freezing their EU-held assets and barring travel to the EU. For the IRGCN's Hormozgan Provincial Command, the asset freeze targets an entity that controls vessel screening and toll collection in the strait, potentially disrupting its ability to process payments through EU financial channels. Mohammad Akbarzadeh, as IRGC Navy spokesperson, and Hamid Hosseini, as a representative of Iran's oil exporters' union, face personal restrictions that may limit their international travel and financial transactions.
For commercial shipping operators transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the EU measures signal continued diplomatic pressure on Iran's toll system but do not directly alter the operational requirement to submit documentation or pay fees to Iranian authorities. The sanctions may increase legal risks for EU-based companies or financial institutions that inadvertently facilitate payments to listed entities, reinforcing compliance obligations under the broader Iran sanctions regime.
For EU member states, the listings implement the political mandate from the March European Council and the May legal framework expansion, demonstrating a coordinated response to what the EU considers violations of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The measures add to existing EU sanctions on Iran but remain narrowly targeted at navigation-related threats rather than broader economic sectors.
Next steps
The Council's legal acts — Decision (CFSP) 2026/1226 and Implementing Regulation (CFSP) 2026/1225 — take effect upon publication in the Official Journal. The listings will be reviewed periodically as part of the EU's sanctions cycle.
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